Sri Lanka, Oct. 19 -- The sudden drop in output from a generator at the Norochcholai Power Plant was identified as the direct cause of the island-wide power outage that occurred at 11:43 a.m. on October 17, officials said.

The Ministry of Energy held a special press briefing at the Department of Government Information today to explain the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Speaking at the briefing, Buddhika Samarasekara, the Chief Executive Officer of the National System Operator Company, said the output of Generator No. 1 at the Norochcholai Power Plant had plunged from 187 megawatts to less than 5 megawatts within a very short period.

He explained that the sudden decline in generation had directly contributed to the widespread ...